Unremitting Love
by I-R-LEET
Summary: A QuistisxOC. What happens when a troubled instructor falls for her student? And what if that student has a secret so dangerous, it can destroy everything that he holds dear? Throw in a Sorceress and you have a spiced up, modern Romeo and Juliet
1. Beginnings

Note: Ok guys this is a QuistisxOC fic. I hope you enjoy. R/R!

As the golden sun rose slowly over the ocean side city of Balamb, its inhabitants woke to the soothing lullaby of ocean waves. In the Garden of Balamb, the SeeDs woke up earnestly, having been well nourished by the strong sunlight, luscious green meadows, and salty-sweet oceans. Students sprang up out of their beds, jammed their bodies into clothes, and all went off into their respective groups. Some formed herds of competitive barbarians, fighting to catch the attention of a girl. Others dashed to the cafeteria to shove in some toast and cram for that dreaded monster weakness exam. Headmaster Cid put on his everyday attire: a plain-white collared shirt and the hand-knit, red-wool vest his wife, Edea, gave him. Commander Leonhart slowly unfurled himself from the clingy arms of Rinoa Heartil—excuse me, Rinoa Leonhart. He kissed her on the forehead and donned his trademark leather jacket. 

The instructors (unrecognized heroes who dealt with the Garden's most deadly enemies: students) had to rely on alarm clocks because they often stayed up late giving extra help or grading tests. One instructor stood out: Quistis Trepe. Her room did not have the instructor's traditional mess, instead her room was as neat and orderly as her beautifully blond hair. Her succulently pale skin, untouched by men, luminously glowed in the fresh sunlight. She looked around her room with her blue eyes and sighed; blue the most paradoxical color, emitting both boundless bliss and soul-slashing sadness. Right now they were sorrowful.

_ I'm so lonely_, she thought.

_ Because you're ugly_, her pessimistic side replied.

_ I am not!_

_ You are too. I mean, you're nineteen, and you've never been laid. Hell, you've never even had ANY form of romantic relationship with ANY man._

_ You're mean. Go away_, she whimpered weakly.

_ Look at everyone else; Rinoa has Squall, Selphie has Irvine, Xu has Nida, even Zell has that library girl. Face it: YOU ARE UGLY. Do the rest of the world and favor and just die._ Depressed, Quistis cried to herself, trying to make it as quiet as possible. Soon she heard someone pounding on her door.

"Quistis, wake up!" the person said. Quistis choked down her sobs. She walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey, Xu," she mumbled to her best friend.

"Good morning, Quistis." Xu squinted her eyes and leveled them with Quistis'. Xu and Quistis had similar body measurements, but Xu noticed that Quistis was losing a lot of weight lately. She resembled some of those anorexic women. Then Xu noticed those all-too-red eyes. "Quistis, have you been crying again?"

"W-what? Me, cry? N-no. . ." was the reply. Quistis had to avert her eyes away from Xu's I'm-your-best-friend-and-I-know-you-better-than-anyone gaze. Xu just sighed and said, "Quistis, just hurry up and put something on. It's Thursday, remember?

"And? It's only six thirty-one."

"Thursday means Instructor meetings before classes, right?" Quistis let out a small cry. How could she forget? Quistis ran back in and threw on her regular Instructor's dress. She ran back out and locked the door. Only then did she notice that she had no shoes or stockings and that her keycard was still_ inside_ her room. She let out a wail of anguish. _Today is NOT my day._ Xu sighed and opened the door with a swipe of her keycard.

"Since when could you open my door?" Quistis asked her friend.

"Since Rinoa convinced Squall to give me a copy of his all-access card. Don't tell anyone. And hurry up, were six minutes late and we haven't even eaten breakfast." Quistis ran back in and put on everything she needed.

"Sorry, Xu," Quistis apologized, as they walked to the Cafeteria for a quick meal.

"It's fine. But I think you should have a check-up or something, because you're really not yourself lately."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Ah-ha! Denial, the first signs of a personal crisis. Normally, you're always so tidy and organized to the point that it's disgusting, but lately, you're the exact opposite. You zone out when people are talking to you, and you're always forgetting things. And you're not eating properly.

"Yes I am!" Quistis denied. "Why, yesterday I ate so much that I . . ." She mumbled off under her friend's whittling stare.

"Quistis, you're my friend. I'm really concerned about you," Xu paused as she scanned the long lines. With a decisive step, she cut the whole line and paid for two bagels. "Whatever's wrong, you should tell me about it. I can, I want to help you, but I can't if you don't talk to me."

"I'm fine really. No, really, I'm ok. I'm just under a little stress." _Is it really that obvious?_ she thought as she bit into her bagel.

"It's because of him isn't it?"

"Him? Who?"

"Seifer," Xu spat out bitterly. After the Ultimecia incident, Seifer had been found to have acted under sorcerous influence, and therefore, innocent of all charges. He had been re-admitted into the Garden, and as fate would have it, he was in Quistis's homeroom. "He's harassing you, isn't he? That cocky bastard, I knew it was a bad idea letting him come back. If he so much as touches you, I'll make sure I stir up so much trouble –"

"No! It's not him. It has nothing to do to with him."

"Then what is it?"

Then and there, Quistis almost spilled out her deepest fears and feelings. It took her visible effort to calm herself down. "I-I'll tell you later. Lets just hurry up to the meeting." They went to the meeting room, mumbling apologies to the other instructors. The current topic was about the upcoming SeeD exam. Amid the slightly boring conversation, Quistis let her thoughts drift. _Maybe I should talk to someone. Maybe they can help me._

_ Yeah, and maybe they can give you free plastic surgery._

_ Go away. You're so mean._

_ I'm being honest._

_ Then why do I have a fan club?_

_ Ugly as you are, you're the youngest and therefore most easily seduced._

_ What are you talking about? The world doesn't revolve around sex and good looks, you know._

_ That's how all the ugly people think._

_ Why are you so mean?_

_ Because—_her thoughts were cut off when Xu jabbed her in the side. Quistis looked up and saw all the other instructors staring at her. Her face reddened as she realized that she had zoned out again.

"We were wondering if you had any suggestions to prepare our students for the upcoming SeeD exam," said Instructor Airon.

"Oh . . . uhhmm . . . well . . . I-I . . . uh . . ." Quistis stammered.

"Well," Instructor Ferra criticized condescendingly, "it seems that our recently reinstated instructor _still_ doesn't have the necessary skills to be successful."

Xu stood up to defend her friend. Instructor Jenny Ferra was known to envy Quistis. "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be at peace right now."

"Oh . . . yes . . . how could we EVER forget such an imperative deed from our dear Instructor. Forgive me, I _almost_ forgot about it," she countered sarcastically.

"Watch yourself, _Jenna_, lest you forget my rank."

"And if I don't . . .? Will you have to give Headmaster Cid sexual favors?"

Like a flash of lightning, Xu's double machetes materialized. In retaliation Jenny kicked aside her chair readied her Rising Sun. An electrified silence hung in the air. Both combatants seemed unwilling to back down.

"Apologize Jenny," Xu hissed.

"I refuse to apologize to that bitch!" Jenny shouted. With a thrusting motion of her left arm, the Rising Sun flared out. Its red saw-blade edges spinning faster than the eye can follow, the Rising Sun sliced through the air at Xu. Xu threw her body sideways in an attempt to dodge. She was twirled around as the Rising Sun lacerated through the fabric and skin of her arm, leaving semi-deep gash. Without wasting the momentum of her body, she dashed toward Jenny. She stabbed with her left machete, which embedded itself in the wall behind where Jenny used to stand. With her right machete, Xu slashed downward to where Jenny was ducking. There was a high-pitched clang as her silver blade clashed with the edges of Jenny's Rising Sun. Quistis began to cry and pleaded, "P-please stop . . . Xu." Xu ignored her and lashed out with her right leg, connecting with Jenny's knee. During Jenny's brief moment of weakness, Xu slashed with both machetes. Instructor Johnson, who was known to have eloped with Jenny, dashed in and blocked the attack with his Staff, which threw Xu off balance. Instructor Merry unsheathed Masamune, her katana, and took a swipe at Instructor Johnson. And so all the instructors who harbored their petty jealousies joined the melee; some fighting because this instructor got a raise for nothing or that instructor being biased, other instructors fought because of their loyalty to Xu or Jenny, and the remaining instructors fought to reduce stress or for no reason at all. Instructor Trepe just stood to the side and sobbed.

-o-

Outside, the students were drawn by all the shouts and clang of weapons. After Instructor Derrick blasted Instructor Verga through the door with his Fira spell, all the students were able to see the violent struggle between their instructors. One student stood out; one that had shiny blond hair and wore a cocky smile. He smacked one of the underclassmen on the back of the head and said, "Hey, go get the Headmaster and tell them our instructors are havin' one helluva party." As the boy dashed off to the Headmaster's office, all the students thought the same thing. This was going to be one LONG week.

-o-

"I still think you should visit all the upper classes and tell them about SeeD," stated Headmaster Cid.

"Headmaster, there really is no point in me going," claimed Squall, "Besides, I'm sure all the upperclassmen have SeeD friends who will teach them the ropes."

"But, Squall, I really think –"

"Headmaster! Commander!" Bradley paused for breath, "You have to . . . huff . . . come right away!"

"Now what's all this commotion!" complained Cid, "Who let you in here?"

"All the Instructors . . . They-they've gone crazy and they're all fighting each other!"

"WHAT!" shouted Squall and Cid.

-o-

Amid the shouting and spell-casting, Instructor Ferra cleared her thoughts. Looking around to see that everyone was occupied, she stealthily moved her way toward the disregarded crying Instructor Trepe. She steadied her Rising Sun with her now-bloody right hand. _DAMN THAT BITCH! _she thought _After her, It's gonna be Xu._ She fixed the weeping instructor in her sight. Ten feet away, Xu searched with blazing eyes for her original prey. She found Jenny aiming, but not at her. Xu followed the angle of the Rising Sun and realized she was aiming for Quistis. _HYNE, she's too far away! _ Xu tried to position herself to shield Quistis or to cut off Jenny's arm, but Instructor Zackery and Hiaram were blocking her path, flailing at each other with swords and nun chucks. Xu felt her heart sink, as the realization struck deeper than any weapon. "Quistis! MOVE!"

Quistis didn't hear her over the din. With a sinister smile, Jenny pressed the trigger. The Rising Sun left its dock, and spun its way toward Quistis. The blood-red discus was on its path to cover itself in real blood. Its many saw-bladed edges gleamed eagerly for the blood of its master's enemy. Xu stood still as timed slowed down. She was unable to help her best friend, whom she swore to protect like the little sister she never had. A cry collected in her lungs and clawed its way out through her throat.

-o-

Outside, the soon-to-be SeeDs stood shocked, unable to decide what to do. If they helped, they would only be adding to the bloodshed, and besides, these were Garden Instructors who were way about their level. But with a cocky smile, Seifer took out his Hyperion. With a stride that gave off waves of over-confidence with every swish of his gray trench coat, he casually walked toward the fierce struggle. "Ass-kickin' time," he stated to no one in particular.

-o-

Spinning, spinning, twirling with deadly glee, eager with deathly intent. Bloody circle, bloody shine, and bloody teeth, all ready to savor delicious flesh and feast on bloody nectar. Rising Sun bringing a bloody sunrise to the innocent maiden. Then a spark of blue thunder, a blizzard of frozen adamantine. Quenching blood thirst and breaking bloody steel. The Lion striking down the Rising Sun with its valiant roar and violent claw. A fear-induced stillness choked down the fight. "Commander Leonhart," the silence whispered, "Squall, the wielder of Lionheart." Possessor of fighting skills unmatched, and magic potential of a novice Sorceress. The sublime rose of the Garden, the pride of Balamb. Immediately, all the instructors relinquished their weapons.

"Explain," he stated flatly.

All the instructors began stammering at once, trying to avoid the Lion's wrath. Xu nimbly stepped through the instructors to Quistis' side. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I-I'm sorry . . . so sorry . . ." Quistis choked out. Upon noticing the tearful woman he thought of as a sister, Squall's icy exterior melted. He inquired with sincere sympathy, "Quistis are you hurt?"

"N-no."

"Xu, take her to the Infirmary." Xu picked up her friend (leaning a little on her for support) and took her to the Infirmary. "And as for the rest of you –"

"Come and get some, you geeky nerds!" challenged Seifer as he charged in as if the very hounds of hell were at his heels. He began to attack random people, not even caring if they weren't armed.

"SEIFER! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" screamed Squall. Seifer promptly stopped, and just realized the fighting stopped.

"Uh . . . enforcing the . . . uh . . . core values of . . . um . . . yeah . . . the . . . uh . . . SeeD . . . thing . . ." Ignoring the stammering Seifer, Squall addressed, "All classes are canceled today due to –" He was cut off by the collectivized shouts and cheers of the students. A group of upperclassmen girls took off the tops of their uniforms and chorused, "We love Squall, we love Squall!" Squall just slapped himself on the forehead.

"All of you get out of here, classes resume as normal tomorrow. Seifer go to your dorm for now; I'll deal with you later. And all the instructors involved in the conflict go wait in Headmaster Cid's office."

-o-

And so the story begins. A story of love between the depressed maiden and her not-so-perfect knight. A tale about two people who sacrifice all to overcome all. A tale of passionate romance, of mind-burning suspense, of bitter hatred, of untold secrets, and of the role of two people in mankind's never-ending struggle against the oppressive Sorceresses.

This is Final Fantasy.

So how is it so far? This is just a prologue, and it basically lays out the format of the story. Is it fresh and witty or boringly bland? Are there enough descriptions or are you lost? If you wish to answer or have comments review please!

Oh and by the way, do you consider yourself true Final Fantasy fans? Well you'll never be one unless you join #square, the best mIRC channel purely for Final Fantasy. For those f you who know how to use mIRC go to scroll down a little, and download the mIRC script. For those of you who don't just im me on AIM at genderXXY for help.


	2. Rising Actions, Anyone?

**Garden-wide conflicts!**

**One Instructor permanently expelled!**

Local reporter, Jessica Marly, investigated the Balamb Garden incident. Apparently the accused Instructor Jenna was kicked out of Balamb Garden for attempting to kill our beautiful ice queen Instructor Trepe. That's right, our very own #1 rated Instructor in last month's _Most Desirable Singles in Balamb_ was attacked yesterday. She had to go to the infirmary for an all-too deadly head injury. More on page A7

"Damn these reporters," Zell said as he chewed on his favorite breakfast (yes he eats hot dogs in the mornings too), "They always have to exaggerate stuff."

Zell was currently sitting in the cafeteria surrounded by his usual gang of friends. Selphie, Rinoa, Xu and Nida, and Ellone sat with him and read the headlines. Squall was somewhere in his office taking care of his usual business. Rinoa was in her regular nurse outfit, as she had taken (or gave herself) the job as assistant nurse in the infirmary because she thought she wasn't doing enough to help out. Selphie dressed herself in her usual one piece minidress (sorry if I got that wrong I'm not enlightened on women's clothing). After the Ultimecia incident, Selphie had been promoted to Head of Committee; basically she took care of all the non-academic and non-military clubs, festivals, etc at the Garden. Xu, a high ranking Instructor and Cid's personal assistant, sat arm in arm with her boyfriend Nida, the Commander's esquire. She had a few bandages here and there, but she looked fine after yesterday. Zell was just a freelance, prominent SeeD. Ellone lived in Balamb Garden with Edea, and went regularly back and forth to Centra to see "Uncy Laguna." Irvine also got his fair share of power and fame, he reached the zenith of his career as Commander of Galbadia Garden. And Quistis . . . well . . . Quistis was . . . late as usual.

"Guys, do you know where Quistis is?" Zell asked.

"I dunno," Selphie chorused while munching down a spoonful of chocolate cereal.

"Don't you think there's something wrong with Quistis lately?" Xu interrupted.

"Now that you mention it, Quistis does seem to be kinda funny. Maybe it's that time of month?" inquired Zell.

"No she's not prissy-pissy, silly-willy. Booyaka, Zell, you don't know anything about women," Selphie bounced up and down.

"Hyne, Selphie, sit still! What do they put in that cereal?" Rinoa complained.

"A LOT of sugar. It makes it taste very yummy yummy."

"Note to Cid, ban Choco-Balls cereal in Balamb Garden," Xu joked.

Selphie took it very personally. "NO! NOPE! NU-UH! NEVER EVER EVER GOING TO HAPPEN!"

"For Hyne's sake, will you calm down?" Ellone said. Selphie calmed down and sat down. She glared at Xu and shoveled down her cereal while mumbling things like "Never ever."

-o-

Quistis looked at herself in the mirror. Red eyes pained from crying, hair matted with sweat from the throes of her nightmare, hollowed cheeks from the lack of food. All in all, a sad and pathetic face loomed back at her. She sighed at herself, drowning in her ocean of depression. _Why do I feel this way? Why does it hurt? Make it stop, please!_ she screamed at herself. This was the pain she lived with. The pain that struck her awake in the morning; the pain that lingered with her and hammered her the whole day; the pain that was the only companion in bed at night. A troubled girl, lost in her own world of darkness, one of surreal horror. Depressed and self-hating, but hopeful, still hopeful nonetheless, for her knight in shining armor to come. To sweep her up in his mighty arms, to hold her in her times of woe, to love her.

_Someday. Someday I will find you. I will wait for you until then. _

…_Someday…_

-o-

In a similar dorm room in Balamb Garden, another troubled soul awoke. With his rising consciousness came the all-too-familiar feeling of fear. His eyes flashed open to look around him. Searching to make sure that he woke up in the same place he slept, scanning every dark crevice for the ones that searched for him. Living in the same surreal world, looking behind his back for the ones he eluded; such was his fate. The fate of the blood that flowed in his veins, the fate of a coward. Doomed to hide and run until he paid his dues and the dues of his family.

_Soon I will be free. Soon I will find the key to unlock these chains that bind me._

…_Soon…_

-o-

"Quistis, you're late."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I couldn't find the ribbon I liked," Quistis stammered as she walked toward her sitting friends.

"Quisty!" Selphie screeched out loud and climbed over the table to hug her friend.

"Ow, ok Selphie, ok it's nice to see you too."

"Quisty, Xu was being mean. She said she would ban my favorite cereal."

"I'm sure she was just kidding Selphie."

"NO! She was being serious. Honestly, Quisty." Quistis laughed at her friend and took a seat between Zell and Rinoa. They pushed some food toward her, so she picked out an apple. Xu made eye contact with her and told Quistis, "Take it easy all right? SeeD exams are as stressful for instructors as they are for students."

"Don't worry I'll be fine," Quistis declared.

"Bye, Xu, I have to go. Squall had a ton of paperwork, but he put them off and now I have to do them. See ya later guys!" He gave a kiss to Xu and left. The others called goodbye, but Quistis just blushed and looked down. She always felt out of place within close proximity of couples, as if she were poisoning the air around them or something. And Hyne be damned, Xu noticed and gave her an odd look. Thankfully no one else noticed. Quistis ignored Xu and bit into her apple, trying to focus on savoring the sweet mushy juiciness and the soft bittersweet skin. Soon after, she joined her friends in a debate about some random subject, courtesy of Selphie. Quistis made up some excuse and left the table. Zell just got up and left. So Xu told Rinoa, Ellone, and Selphie, "Guys, I think I know what's bothering Quistis."

"What?" Rinoa asked.

"She needs a boyfriend."

"What?"

"It's pretty obvious now that I see it. Look, all of us, excuse me Ellone, have boyfriends, and Quistis must feel left out."

"So whadda we do?" chimed Selphie.

"Women. I have the perfect solution. Come to Squall and my dorm tonight at eight. I'll tell you then," declared Rinoa.

"Alrighty"

-o-

Quistis waited as her students filed in and took their seats. At exactly eight o'clock the bell rang, and the students promptly took their seats and quieted down. Quistis smiled brightly at her class.

"Good morning, everybody."

"Good morning, Instructor Trepe."

"As you all know, the SeeD test will be taking place three days from now. That's Friday. I've finished grading your practice written tests, and I'm glad to say that most of you scored excellently." A cry went up for this. Among the people to cheer the loudest were the three Trepies in her class. #1 whistled loudly, #2 woot-wooted, and #3 shouted, "It's because you're such a good instructor!"

Quistis smiled at her class and continued, "But I'd like to point out someone. This person scored exceptionally well, almost a perfect score. Good job, Terrance Astral, for scoring the highest as usual." The whole class clapped at the genius sitting in the front row. He had a well toned body with firm muscles (after all he was a gunblade expert) and raven black hair. He had a well-chiseled face and a nicely arranged face. He had alluring black eyes set into rich cream-colored skin. He would have had his fellow female classmates crawling (and clawing) over him, had he not had such a fiercely antisocial personality. Seriously, it was worse than Squall.

"Pff. Big deal," proclaimed Seifer, "If I spent as much time locked away in my dorm and studying as much as him, I'd be scoring so high, I wouldn't even be able to count it." Terrance just bowed his head and looked as if he was trying to disappear. _Oh Hyne, no one can get under my skin like he can!_ Quistis thought.

"Seifer, I wanted to keep this private, but since you insist on it I think I'll say it in front of the whole class. Seifer, you have managed to score the lowest grade in the history of Balamb Garden. A phenomenal _four_ out of 165 points."

"Hey, what can I say? It ain't that easy."

"Sometimes I wonder why you aren't in the special-ed class. Oh wait, there is none. Then why are you here? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't have anywhere else to go do you, Mr. Lapdog?" The last comment struck low and hard. Seifer actually _felt_ his ego get whipped on that one. But Seifer Almasy was definitely not the kind of person to just lie down and accept that kind of punishment. Instead, he unsheathed his Hyperion and jumped over desks in a mad charge. And in his scant few seconds of levitation, Terrance reached up and grabbed Seifer's ankle in a vice and slammed him down. Seifer rolled on the floor to recover and swung his gunblade to retaliate. Terrance kicked up his chair into his hands and blocked it with a leg. Seifer then blasted the chair away with a Fire and went in for the kill. He stopped abruptly as he found his neck noosed with Quistis' Save the Queen.

"Drop it, Seifer, now." Seifer complied and felt the whip loosen its hold. "Go back to your seat, and don't cause any more trouble. Oh, and you've lost all your afternoon privileges, and you have detention all this week too." Seifer swore under his breath, and as he moved back to his seat, he growled at Terrance, "You're dead, buddy, you are fucking dead."

"Mariette, hand back these exams please. Open your notes everyone, this is the final review." _Hyne this is going to be a long day_.

-o-

Five hours passed. Five long, grueling, painful, hellish hours of reviewing every single military and academic concept. Covering the dreadful theories of osmotic pressure, sine curves, and subordinate clauses. Going over every single tactic like divide-and-conquer and rear/flank attack. And only a half hour lunch break in between. And now the final hour and the final subject. In a nutshell, a godsend to all.

"Oh, Hyne! My brain feels like its going to explode," exclaimed Trepie #1.

"Now, now, class, this is the final topic. Lets hang in there. Ok, so can anyone explain to me the concepts of GFs and magic junctioning?" Trepie #2 raised his hand to answer, so Quistis called on him.

"A GF is a paramagic entity that was only discovered recently. They can be equipped to provide help in battle. To summon them, one must go through the normal magic using sequence. It requires great concentration, and if successful, the GF will use your body as a medium into the physical realm; they will rearrange the atoms in your body to suit their forms, and after attacking they will disappear. They are extremely useful, but one of the few known drawbacks is the loss of long term memory."

"Very good. Now, Jason, explain the concepts of magic junctioning, please."

"Well, uh . . . after equipping a GF, you can draw paramagic from monsters or item, and store them. The GF will use the stocked magic to project a spherical aura around the bearer to protect them from physical harm. The more magic stocked, the stronger the affects, but the sphere can still be penetrated by magic, other GFs, or physical attacks." (AN: this is important to my story so remember it!)

"Nice job. Now let me tell you about Limit Breaks. Limit Breaks can only be activated when under extreme conditions. The body senses it and releases chemicals that trigger different feelings like fear or pain to the body. If a GF is equipped the body sends out a certain chemical that alerts the GF of impending death. The GF then shifts its power to you, causing a tremendous boost in speed, strength, etc. Everyone's limit break is different since we all have different bodies. Be warned, exceptionally skilled fighter can trigger off their Limit Breaks even if they aren't in near death status. Got all that?" (AN: this is also important) The whole class nodded (except Seifer who just seethed with anger in his seat).

"Ok now, everyone get up, and we'll do something fun." Quistis brought out a Stop stone. "Everyone draw some Stops, and stand where I'm standing. Aim at that clock and try to stop it. This will count as part of your participation grade, and so you will be graded on proficiency of magic, time needed to cast, and effectiveness. Now start."

One by one, the students drew some Stops and blasted away at the clock. Most of them succeeded. Quistis smiled at he class's success. But there were two students who failed. The first was Terrance. And the other was Seifer. Here's what happened.

Terrance walked up to the Stop stone, a little unconfident in his stride. With a little more difficulty than the rest of his classmates, he drew out one Stop. _Only one? _Quistis thought. He turned around and aimed for the clock. Taking a deep breath to help him concentrate, Terrance closed his eyes. He exhaled and the room went unearthly silent. The pressure seemed to shift as Quistis' ears felt like they popped. A strange tranquility resonated through the air. The calmness before the raging storm. He opened his palm and traced an upwards arc, aiming at the clock.

"**Stop**"

Like an uncoiling snake eager for a hunt after a long rest, the spell commenced. With giddy speed it collected in the palm of its caster's palm. And then . . . nothing happened whatsoever. No grand rapture of vigorous paramagic. No surge of power that sped its way to stop the clock. Not even a fizzle. _That was it! I could even _feel_ how powerful it was going to be and that's it! What happened? This is impossible; he's at the top of the class. . . _ Quistis questioned.

Apparently Seifer saw this as the funniest that ever. "Oh, my, Hyne! That sucked! I thought you were a genius! Go back to the intermediate class, sissy."

"Seifer!"

"Well, I'm sorry. He sucked so bad it was hilarious." Terrance looked like he had two heads. He turned a bright red and slumped as if to disappear. "Oh by the way, you're new name is now Sissy, got it?" he launched toward Terrance.

"Well, Seifer, if you think you're so good, why don't you be kind enough to demonstrate to us your magnificent skill?" Quistis said disparagingly.

"I was thought you would never ask." With pompous gait, he drew four Stops and got into position. "Watch my marvelous skill." Focusing his mind, he summoned waves of powerful paramagic. With lightning quick speed the spell was charged.

"**Stop"**

With a flash, the Stop spell blasted across the room. As it hit the target a blinding flash burst out. When the class was able to see again, everyone looked anxiously at the clock. _Tick tock tick tock_. The rest of the students let out crudely hidden snickers so as not to arouse the wrath of Seifer but still make it obvious they were laughing at him. Quistis wasn't afraid, so she burst out with ego-lashing _bwah ha ha ha_'s.  
"Well, Seifer, I must say . . . poor, very poor indeed."

"The joke's on you Ice Queen."

"What did you call me?"

Seifer pointed. "Looks like I didn't miss after all." Quistis followed his finger, and sure enough, there stood Terrance frozen in time. Staring out with a surprised look, he remain motionless, affixed into place like a human statue.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Sissy, and to everyone else –"

"Seifer, you cheating little bast—"

"No one –"

"– going to report –"

"– messes with Seifer Almasy."

"– to Headmaster Cid!"

"No one," he repeated with deadly finality for implacable emphasis.

"Lift the spell. NOW!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Seifer gloated with an excess of sarcasm vomiting from his mouth, "I don't have any more Esunas stocked. Looks like it's too bad for him."

"Seifer, you little f–" Quistis was cut off by a high-pitched noise. The same noise as the sound of a precious glassware artifact being hurled to the ground: the shrieking shrill of shattering glass. With that smashing sound, Terrance broke free from the spell.

"What the hell? How did you . . . ?" Seifer stopped in mid sentence and brought out his Hyperion to parry the blow from Terrance's Revolver.

"Wow, I have to admit it, you're pretty fast, Sissy." With a deep grunt, Seifer put his both hands on Hyperion and shoved Terrance back. Recovering his footing with supernatural grace, Terrance dove in for another assault with a two-handed overhand slash. And with ease, Seifer knocked him away.

"Both of you stop this right now!"

"**Double: Fira**"

Two fiery explosions followed consecutively. The first explosion blaster Terrance off his feet, and the second explosion accelerated him through the classroom walls and singed his uniform.

"For the love of fucking Hyne –" Quistis started.

"**Limit Break: No Mercy**"

"NO! **Blue Magic: Electrocute**"

Before Seifer could pull of his finishing moves, Quistis paralyzed him. The classroom was shocked into silence. Normally, Quistis was a cool and patient woman (right?) but even she had her boundaries. And Seifer had just trespassed that bound.

"Go," she said through trembling lips, "Cid's Office. Now." Seifer turned around to leave, still walking proudly as if nearly killing someone was a casual for him. "Selene, take –"

"I'm fine." Terrance lifted himself up and dusted the broken plaster off his uniform (otherwise in perfect condition aside from a gaping hole in the chest).

"Don't count on it next time, Sissy, you're lucky Ice Queen was here to save your a–" A crack, a flinch, and a scream later, Seifer looked at a piece of skin on the ground that should have been on his cheek. Blood oozed down the side of his cheek as his brain processed what happened.

"You Hyne-damned whore!"

Save The Queen snapped once again, this time a lot more murderously. The very tip of it cracked at the surface of his nose. Guided by the extreme precision of Quistis, this was Save The Queen's coy warning, "Don't piss me off, buddy." Swallowing his injured ego, he turned and left for Cid's office (even if you are the cockiest guy in the world, you **have **to listen to Quistis, especially a mad Quistis, right guys?).

And (thank the lord Hyne almighty) the final bell rang, signifying the end of classes. But no one dared to move for fear that their Instructor might blow. Quistis let out deep breath, "Class dismissed. Remember to study hard for the written exam. Selene, go alert the janitor of our broken wall. And Terrance please stay for a word."

The class hurried out. Looking a little ashamed, Terrance slung his backpack on and took long, slow toward the now-calm instructor.

"I'm sorry for –"

"It's fine. Just don't lose your temper like that, ok?"

"Yes, Instructor Trepe."

"And be careful with Seifer, ok? He may not seem like it but he's way above your level. I'm not saying you're bad, but Seifer would be on par with Squall, so don't do anything rash."

"Yes ma'am."

"About your little problem today, I don't get what happened."

"Neither do I."

"Hmm." _It's obvious your lying_. Quistis caught a glance at his quickly averting eyes, and she didn't need the student communication skills from the Instructor's Seminar to see he was lying.

"Well that's ok then. I'm sure you'll get it. Now go along and have fun. Don't forget to study; not that you'll need it since you're at the top of the class. You can always come in for extra help if you need it."

"Thanks, Instructor Trepe. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good-bye Terrance, have a nice day."

When Terrance left the room, Quistis let out a sigh. _I don't know how much more I can take!_ She gathered her stuff and left the room unlocked. _Just three more days until the SeeD test. Then the field exam. Then I'll finally get a good long summer break._ She looked at her watch and saw the time was 2:45. _Oh great, another Instructor meeting. This time under Squall's supervision. He's probably going to give a lecture on proper Garden behavior and role models. Dear Hyne, that man is incredible, but he is just not cut out to be a public speaker. _She sighed once again. _Being an Instructor is really hard._

-o-

At the risk of sounding anti-feminist, women are a people with a soft spot for emotions. When a man falls, he picks himself up, throwing off help for fear they break their prideful necks. But a woman is a different story; they seem more _civilized_, should one fall, their fellow women rush to aid, and they accept it gratefully. Such was the case for Quistis; unknown to her, Rinoa, Selphie, and Xu were sneaking behind her to catch her before she fell. So in Squall and Rinoa's grand suite, they gathered.

"Alright, gals, first we have to take our secret oath of silence. Whatever goes on in here, stays in here, got it?"

"Sure."

"I'll die before I speak."

"Good, now let's start. Here's my plan. I saw this off a reality show once, and it worked perfectly. One of the privileges of being married to the Commander of SeeD is that I get free access to classified info."

"Really?"

"Well . . . just as long as no one finds out."

"Uh-oh, naughty-naughty Rinoa!" Selphie teased.

"Hey! It was to help out a friend." She glared at the other two, "And remember the secret oath of silence, don't make me have to go Angel Wing Limit Break on your asses."

Selphie snorted. She flatly stated as if mocking one of the most powerful sorceresses was an everyday thing, "My Slot Limit Break can kick your Limit Break's ass any day."

Rinoa shot straight up. "Oh yeah? You wanna' go for it now?"

Selphie shot straight up also. "Hell yes! I can take your ass!"

"Selphie, Rinoa for the love of Hyne, will you two cut it out? Remember why we're here please."

"Oh right, right, ok sorry, Rinny."

"Its fine." They sat back next to each other, and it looked like nothing had happened. "Ok so anyway, the plan. I have assembled a portfolio of all the Garden residents age 18 to 20. We'll split up the biographies and examine them carefully. We'll deem five that are worthy, and then set up a blind date. This'll all happen three weeks from Saturday, after all the test during the summer break. That Saturday night we'll have Quistis come and interview all five guys and choose the one she wants to 'court.'"

"Wow, that's a pretty awesome plan."

"Yeah, I like it a lot."

"I know. It's perfect, isn't it?"

"Well let's get started with these biographies, shall we?"

"Yeah!"

-o-

Terrance let out a frustrated sigh. _So much to study . . . But I have to pull through . . . for them._ Looking up from his crammed desk, he stared at the picture of his family. Smiling fondly as he reminisced on far-off, he thought _For you, I'll walk to the end of the world, for you, I'll endure any pain, for you, I'd kill the world thrice over._ There he was, a child of 8 back then. Just like any innocent child, he was carefree and naïve. Standing in front of his grandmother, with her old wrinkled face, her kind hands, her loving disposition. Arm in arm with his two older twin sisters. Granted beauty of ethereal angels with their snow white hair and deep green eyes. Eyes like his. They'd both be twenty-five had they not died in an accident when he was twelve. His parents would have been fifty and forty-nine had they not died in a different accident when he was four. His grandmother was now eighty-eight. The last he'd heard of her was a year ago. He was now nineteen. A man now; bound and sorrowful, but a man nonetheless.

Taking a break from his studies, he walked to the window in his small three-room standard Garden-issued suite. Looking at the dark sky filled with many bright dots he remembered the last thing his grandmother told him before sending him off to Balamb Garden.

-o-

_It was a medium sized shack; nothing fantastic, just good enough to keep the cold and bugs out and the heat in. It had seen through better times, but now it was being drenched in torrents of stormy rain. It was surrounded by a tide of black night, the kind of night that inspired negative connotations: walking undead, sea monster, and evil demons. Inside sat two people. An old woman, hunched over, held the hands of a pubescent boy. There was a bond of love between them; not pedophilic love, but familial love. The second strongest love._

_"You are fifteen now, Terry, nearly a man. I've revealed the truth of our family; the curse of what it means to be an Astral. You are special child, the first boy to enter our clan ever since . . . the original problem. You are destined for greatness, the fates have blessed you, and you must receive their gifts."_

_"I know, Gramma, but why do I have to go?"_

_"You must learn to fight. Fate has pitted you against our worst enemy. She has locked you in the cell with it. Before it can find your presence, you must learn how to protect yourself."_

_"But I don't want to go, I want to stay here."_

_"I know, sweety, I know." Gramma squeezed Terry's hands. "But you have to. You understand right?"_

_"I do. I'll go Gramma, I'll do it for you."_

_"That's a good boy."_

_It was a heart-wrenching moment. Fate, Hyne-damned, picky Fate, had taken a dagger and cut the bond that had formed between these two. A bond that had formed over fifteen years. Like a child, Terry still sought comfort in the unknown, naïve enough to believe in foolish hope._

_"Will I ever see you again?"_

_"Of course dear. I promise, one day we will meet. And we will celebrate."_

-o-

_Oh dear Hyne _Squall thought as he entered his grand suite. He had heard Rinoa's raucous laughter, accompanied by Selphie's annoying, high-pitched giggle, both synchronized with Xu deep, melodic snicker. When was spontaneous laughter from three feisty, self-confident teenagers ever a good thing? Especially when Selphie was involved as one of those feisty, self-confident teenagers. _Please Hyne, don't let them be plotting something_. With a self assuring deep breath, he walked in and made his presence known. Abruptly the laughter choked off, and quick as a flash, the girls pick up whatever they were looking at and stuffed it away from his sight. _What the . . .?_

"Oh, hi honey!" Rinoa made a show at an overly-enthusiastic welcome to divert his attention. "Good day at work?"

"If I may ask –"

"Don't ask Mr. Nosy," Selphie interjected.

"Uh . . . ok . . ."

"Dinner's on the table, sweetheart, better eat it before it gets cold."

"Sure. What about you guys?"

"Oh, we already ate something."

"Oh. Ok."

"And after you're done make sure you go straight to bed, so you don't hear our plotting."

"Plotting?"

"SHHHH!" Rinoa shushed.

"Ooops!" Selphie quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

"Oh please, don't plan another party, the last one was cataclysmic."

"It wasn't that bad!" Selphie stated a little insulted.

"'Not that bad'? You nearly launched six AFR-13 Smart Missiles at Centra!"

"Hey! It wasn't my fault! I wasn't the one who **forced** Zell to chug a gallon of beer!"

"Ok that's quite enough now." Rinoa cut off. "Why don't you go eat, honey. I promise I'll keep Selphie in check."

"Do you swear on it?"

"Yes."

"Swear on the Sacrosanct of Hyne?"

"Yes."

"Swear on your –"

"OK! That's enough asshole! I'm standing right here, and I can hear you! Why don't you shut up and go eat your dinner!"

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going." _Please Lord Hyne Almighty, I am not normally a praying man, but please._

A/N: Did you like it everybody? Is it fun? Is it boring? Once again you're all welcome to review and criticize Since I'm on a two week spring break the updates will be a lot more frequent, I promise. _  
_


	3. Beginnings of a Warrior

A/N: Schools almost over, so I promise a lot more updates. yes i know its short and theres the bare minimum of action so it might seem boring, but i promise there will be a lot more later on. Trust me, when i have time to write this story will take a turn for the better, I swear.

Three days later, the very air of Balamb Garden seemed to spark with an unspoken, electrified anxiety. This was it. This was the second to last test, and it would either make or break their SeeD careers. So after a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast the soon-to-be SeeDs walked toward their designated classrooms. Quistis greeted her class with an encouraging smile and handed out the test materials. She read the directions aloud and at exactly eight o'clock she bade them good luck and started the three hour written exam.

Sitting down at her desk, she looked out toward her students. All of them were focused so hard they looked like they would burst. Even Seifer looked like he was a little serious. She turned around to write the allotted times for breaks on the board. Without even looking back, she said instinctively, "Seifer, keep your eyes on your own paper. Jeremy and Chester, both of you move two seats away from Seifer. And if I catch you again, I'll take away your exam."

_Fuck. How did she know without even looking back at me?_ Seifer thought, surprised. _Time for plan B_.

"I need to go to the bathroom, Instructor Trepe," he said in his most innocent voice.

"Very well, but I'll have to go with you."

_Damn it! Time for Plan C_.

"Actually, now that I think about it I don't need to go."

"Are you sure? It's a three hour exam."

"No, I'm really fine. Thanks for your concern. Now turn back around and continue writing whatever you were."

Quistis turned her back. Stealthily, Seifer lifted his right ankle on top of his left knee, into what looked like an innocent sitting position. He lifted his jeans a little and looked at the LCD of a personal palm pilot strapped to his leg. He smirked and thought _Look at those idiots who actually studied. It was a great idea to type up my notes on this thing._ (Actually he had bullied this really smart freshman into doing it, then threatened to kick his ass if he told.) Seifer was too caught up in his giddy joy to notice Quistis walking up behind. He let out a shout as Quistis swiftly grabbed the palm pilot and ripped it off, leg hairs and all.

"I have to admit, your recent attempts are quite ingenious. I would never have come up with such devious plans. But Seifer, please be serious; the outcome of this test determines your assessment in society. So I won't take it away from you like I said, but please, at least try not to cheat through this one."

"Bitch!" he hissed at her as she left. _I wish I thought of a plan D._

-o-

Three Hours Later . . .

"Alright class! Time's up, so pencils down." With a collectivized sign of relief the class relinquished their writing utensils.

"Pass them forward, please. And Seifer, when I said pencils down, I meant now." And after collecting all the test papers, she said, "You can talk about it later, on the way to the field exam. For now go to your dorms and collect your things. The time is now 1100, assemble in the Quad by 1300 to be split into your groups for the field exam. Go get lunch, and if you haven't visited the Fire Cavern, now would be the ideal time to do so. For the last time, Seifer please hand in your test or I won't collect it." Reluctantly he gave it to her and walked out.

-o-

"Quistis, I've got some bad news."

"What is it now, Xu?"

They were sitting with the other instructors dividing up the students into three man groups. It wasn't an easy job, since they had to look at each student's strengths and weaknesses and put them with people who would function perfectly together. (It was particularly difficult with Seifer.)

"We had forty-four people taking the field exam, and we had a team of two, right? With Terrance and Jasper? Well, Dr. Kodawasaki just told me that he broke his leg."

"Oh, great. How did that happen?"

"Apparently some juniors were playing a prank on him, but they took it too far."

"Now what do we do? We can send him out alone. And we can't put him with another team since it makes it more difficult."

"Then I'll be with him," stated Quistis. "And since Selphie also coming with us, she can be on our team."

"Doesn't that give him an unfair advantage?"

"We'll make him the leader, and we won't do anything an average SeeD candidate wouldn't be able to do. Is that fair? No objections to this?"

The other instructor pondered the matter but found no objections, so they agreed.

"It's almost time. If we're all done then let's head out to the Quad."

-o-

The students gathered at the Quad like a mass of electrified anxiety. Some were in bandages after a trip to the Fire Cavern. They were eagerly chatting amongst themselves about the correct answer to this and that. Then they all snapped to attention as Xu took the podium.

"Good morning, or rather, afternoon. I hope you are all ready for your final exam. For your field exam we will be going north to the Trabian Continent. The Trabia Garden is currently under attack from a neighboring country; this country has recently sprung up after the Sorceress' War, located west of the Trabian Mountains. Not much is known about them except that the capital is called Promisia, and they possess a formidable army rivaling that of Galbadia. We won't be doing any direct fighting; professional SeeDs have been dispatched beforehand to take care of the dangerous battles. You will be assisting the Trabian SeeDs expel some of the Promisians who have managed to infiltrate the Garden. You will be left to judge which battles to fight and which to avoid, but please don't be rash and try to do something you can't do. On your way out we will tell you the teams you will be split into. Join your teams and proceed to the parking lot where you will be escorted to Balamb Port. We will then depart for Trabia there. Good luck!"

The student body moved out. As they headed toward the exits, the instructors divided them up. Quistis moved in quickly and snagged Terrance out from the crowd.

"What?" he seemed surprised.

"You'll be with me and Selphie for the exam. Your partner injured himself."

He nodded and followed her out.

-o-

At the Balamb port, they assembled and got into their separate boats. All the other boats began to leave, but Quistis and Terrance were still waiting.

"If I may ask, why aren't we leaving yet?"

"We're waiting for Selphie."

A shout and a squeal of tires came from the road. A Balamb resident narrowly jumped out of the way of a bright yellow car that came zooming through the winding streets at a hundred miles per hour. The car skidded to a stop a few feet from Quistis and Terrance. And lo and behold, Selphie popped out in her skimpy yellow mini-dress bearing her Strange Vision.

"Selphie, you're not supposed to park here…" Quistis stated.

"I know, I know, but I'm sorry I'm late," stammered Selphie, "C'mon let's get a move on it. Hey! Who are you?"

"This is Terrance. He's a SeeD candidate and he will be the leader."

"Ok. Is it ok if I call you Terry?"

"Uhm…sure," he replied.

So the trio boarded their ship and left the port. Unspoken thoughts went through Terry's head. (A/N: I'm getting tired of typing out "Terrance" too many letters :P) The possibility of death, the chance of failure, the prospect of capture, the risk of defeat, all these were the normal worries of a warrior off to battle. Off to face a powerful and unknown enemy, who wouldn't think such things?


End file.
